Trap
CounterParthian Shot
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3284
At the end of the Battle Phase: It becomes the End Phase of this turn.
60± 5/ 100
Power Score
Intrinsic
54
Deck
59
Parthian Shot — Power Evaluation
Final Score: 60 ± 5 · Confidence: Medium
- Intrinsic: 54 · Deck: 59 · Meta: provisional
- Primary role: Board breaker / Going-second · Secondary: Utility
Why it scores here
Parthian Shot is a counter trap that forces the turn to skip directly to End Phase, denying the opponent Main Phase 2 and all post-Battle Phase interactions. Its power stems entirely from disruption rather than advantage generation—a one-card −1 trade that provides strong but narrowly-scoped control. The card has found consistent adoption in going-second control decks (Drytron 55.3%, 13 total archetypes) at 3-copy core, indicating solid meta recognition. However, zero combo evidence, no card advantage generation, and fragility to negation or destruction cap its overall power ceiling.
Axis scores
| Axis | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility | 65 | Counter trap activating at a fixed turn structure point with no searchability; requires prior-turn setup, but 38-deck inclusion confirms reliable findability in going-second shells (observed). |
| Combo & Conversion | 5 | Zero combos in evidence and no board-building capability—purely a stall effect with no card or board generation (verified). |
| Resource Economy | 25 | Straight −1 trade (trap consumed for phase skip) with no recursion, refuel, or advantage engine; pure resource cost (verified). |
| Effect & Interaction | 75 | Extremely strong disruption by forcing phase skip, completely denying Main Phase 2 and post-Battle Phase actions; very difficult to play around (observed: 89.5% in control/tempo decks). |
| Material Utility | 0 | Trap card with no material value, body, or synergy; becomes inert if removed before activation (verified). |
| Resilience & Flexibility | 25 | Single-use effect that can be negated or destroyed before triggering; activation locked to opponent's Battle Phase end; no recovery path if interrupted (inferred). |
| Deck-Building Efficiency | 55 | Runs as 3-copy core in 87% of observed decks with no searchability and mandatory prior-turn setup; moderate slot cost but consistent inclusion across 13 archetypes (observed). |
Calculation
Weight profile: Board breaker / Going-second primary role. Intrinsic ≈ 54, Deck ≈ 59, Meta = provisional. Modifiers: Splashability bonus (1). Final formula: 0.40*Intrinsic + 0.60*Deck
Strengths
- Extremely strong disruption—forces complete phase skip, denying opponent all Main Phase 2 and post-Battle Phase actions.
- Splashable as core tech across 13 distinct control archetypes, not limited to single home.
- Clear activation condition with no fiddly timing or ruling ambiguities.
- Consistent 3-copy inclusion in going-second control decks confirms meta recognition and reliability.
Weaknesses
- No card advantage or resource generation—pure −1 trade with no return.
- Cannot be used as material or generate value if removed before activation.
- Activation window entirely dependent on opponent entering Battle Phase; dead in OTK/FTK or skipped-Battle-Phase scenarios.
- Zero combo synergy—purely disruption with no board-building capability.
Counters / choke points
- Negation effects (Solemn Judgment, Solemn Strike, Infinite Impermanence) can prevent activation.
- Destruction effects (Cosmic Cyclone, Forbidden Droplet, Harpie's Feather Duster) remove it before trigger.
- Turn-skipping or turn-structure manipulation effects may conflict with phase-skip mechanics.
- First-turn kills or turn-winning strategies that conclude before Battle Phase render the trap irrelevant.
Best use
Going-second Battle Phase disruption and stall. Decks: Drytron, Cyber Angel, Infernoble Knight, Control and tempo archetypes. Suggested copies: 3.
Evidence & gaps
- Verified: Counter trap that forces turn to skip from Battle Phase end directly to End Phase (card text).; Appears in 38 decks across 13 distinct archetypes with 3-copy standard (87% of sample).; Primary home is Drytron at 55.3% inclusion (21/38 decks).; Trap card mechanics: no searchability, requires prior-turn setup, no material value or level/attribute synergy.
- Observed: 89.5% of decks (34/38) are classified as control/tempo gameplay, confirming going-second focus.; 2.79 average copies per deck signals high commitment to the disruptive effect.; All top deck partners are core Drytron cards, showing tight synergy in primary archetype.
- Inferred: Extremely strong disruption by completely denying Main Phase 2 and all post-Battle Phase interactions.; Generic utility across control decks despite single-archetype dominance; portability across 13 homes suggests broad applicability to going-second shells.; Deckbuilding cost is moderate (3 slots, no tutoring, mandatory setup turn).; Fragility to negation/destruction and activation-window dependency creates situational dead-card risk.
- Data gaps: No combos supplied—cannot verify if card appears in top-8 combo boards or assess actual board-building integration. No guides supplied—missing human strategic context on its role in control lines and synergy depth. No usage statistics (StatisticsCard)—archetype inclusion percentages inferred from 38-deck sample only, not historical trends. No banlist token—ban status assumed unlimited (3 copies allowed, no Forbidden/Limited restriction documented).